Not waiting to see if they can get the F-22 Japan is moving foreward on the previously announced ATD-X. More details emerged about how the aircraft may look and perform

1) Current models shows the airframe is very similar to the F-22

2) However, the given dimensions make it smaller than the Raptor and about the size of a the Saab Gripen

3) The twin engines lie behind snaked ducts to hide the compressor blades

4) The wing configuration rules out supercruise

5) The nose of the a/c is like a duckbill with chines on either side of the cockpit

6) Testing is reported to be planned to give the aircraft an all around conformational radar (thats pretty cool)

7) Three dimentional thrust vectoring 9But stealthy paddles have yet to be designed

It has the makings of a pretty cool aircraft. Right now its a demonstrator. However, if these features make it onto a production craft, the Japanese may have an airframe that will kill off F-35 sales IMHO. At least the A model.

This may very well be the intent to force the Raptor slaes they really want.

The information in this post comes from the December 17, 2007 edition of AWST page 35

The US may come to regret ruling out F-22 sales to Japan.

Japan is an extremely technologically advanced country, if we force them to invest more heavily in their domestic defense aerospace sector, we may find ourselves with an able competitor we didn't bargain for.

Boeing and Lockmart might find themselves in the same position as GM and Ford in a decade or two - former industry leaders now struggling to catch up.



[edit on 12/18/07 by xmotex]

There are laws in place which prevent Japan exporting defence tech, also, it may sound nice but they haven't even got a protype yet, and it wont go into full production until after the f-35 is already up and making deliveries.

Most of the euro-canards could be stealth conformed faster than this plane could reach service

Originally posted by MisterVoid
Most of the euro-canards could be stealth conformed faster than this plane could reach service

well said..

But Its good to see that these guys are investing in something better than their previous endeavours.

Originally posted by MisterVoid
There are laws in place which prevent Japan exporting defence tech...

Laws don't matter when it comes to the ChiComs conducting clandestine military and industrial espionage. There have been several leaks and compromises from the JSDF with regards to the AEGIS systems we exported to them. And now China has recently fielded a similar system in one of their new naval ships.

Originally posted by MisterVoid
Most of the euro-canards could be stealth conformed faster than this plane could reach service

A conventional design will never be as LO with retrofits as one which is design from conception with stealth as the main priority. My question is; will this aircraft when/if it enters service offer anything more than the F-35 at the time will? If not than it makes little practical sense not to order the F-35A or F-35C.

Originally posted by WestPoint23

Originally posted by MisterVoid
Most of the euro-canards could be stealth conformed faster than this plane could reach service

A conventional design will never be as LO with retrofits as one which is design from conception with stealth as the main priority. My question is; will this aircraft when/if it enters service offer anything more than the F-35 at the time will? If not than it makes little practical sense not to order the F-35A or F-35C.

Are you sure? Take the Typhoon for example, all the work has already been done on the subframe design, electronics, etc, remove the carbon fibre composite skin and replace it with a shaped for purpose skin made from a radar absorban material, move to thrust vectoring allowing a reduction in aspect of the tailfin, increase the size of the intakes (shaped for purpose of course and add a enclosed dedicated A2A payload bay, blended down into the wing (might require a 5%-8% increase in wing area to compensate, a minor fusilage stretch would probably suffice, which could also allow a 2 seat combat capable version), there would still be some problems with the shape of the top fusilage aft of the cockpit, but frontal RCS could drop quite a ways, and still stay around the same empty weight of the F-35, with superior power (currently only 2 KN more but projected tranche 3 power levels are 100KN+ per engine), handling (reduced slightly, but I doubt by much) and engine redundancy.

You'd be amazed what you can do to a good airframe if you put your mind, and a ton of money, to it

$150 million is not a representitive price for the regular export airframes, R&D costs are front loaded into early aircraft, iirc the UK is tied to getting 12 planes for $167 million each for it's $2 billion funding of the program (though I may have this wrong)